The Wendy’s Co., whose same-store sales are lagging behind its chief burger rival, is pulling out the “fresh not frozen” card again, with an attack ad aimed at McDonald’s.
In the ad released Sept. 8, Wendy’s names every burger McDonald’s makes with flash-frozen patties. The Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain shared the video on its Twitter page, making this comment: “We made a list we checked it twice, we’ve figured out what’s fresh and what’s ice.”
We made a list we checked it twice, we've figured out what's fresh and what's ice. pic.twitter.com/Q5IQJlwlqD
— Wendy's (@Wendys) September 8, 2018
The video builds on a commercial Wendy’s released during the Super Bowl this year. That ad, titled “Iceberg,” in reference to what doomed the ship Titanic, mocked McDonald’s for promoting its flash-frozen patties as sealing in fresh flavor. The commercial boldly told viewers to “Skip the hamburgers at the Frozen Arches.”
Both Wendy’s and McDonald’s declined to comment about Wendy’s latest salvo against its burger nemesis.
Since the Super Bowl, McDonald’s has completed its rollout of fresh beef patties on its Quarter Pounder and Signature Crafted burgers. The change is part of the brand’s effort to improve food quality on its menu.
That message appears to be working for McDonald’s, whose same-store sales outperformed Wendy’s this summer.
For the second quarter ended July 1, Wendy’s reported same-store sales up 1.9 percent at North American units. McDonald’s, on the other hand, saw second quarter same-store sales in the U.S. increase 2.6 percent.
In an interview with CNBC last week, Wendy's CEO Todd Penegor did not directly discuss the latest ad campaign. But when asked about McDonald’s latest effort to add fresh beef patties he said: “We’ve been fresh on every hamburger at every restaurant since 1969. It validated that fresh does taste better," he told CNBC.
Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected]
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